Assy Plateau and Issyk lake and Bear Turgen Waterfall Jeep Tour
Description
Discover three of Kazakhstan's most diverse natural landscapes in one unforgettable day from Almaty — all in the comfort of a 4x4 Jeep. Start at the vast Assy Plateau — a sweeping highland steppe at 2,700 meters, where nomads have roamed for centuries and the sky stretches endlessly in every direction. Continue to the thundering Bear Waterfall (Turgen), one of the most powerful waterfalls in the Tian-Shan mountains, hidden deep in a lush canyon gorge. A short walk through pine forest leads you straight to the cascade. Finish at the stunning Lake Issyk — a turquoise mountain lake surrounded by snow-capped peaks, formed thousands of years ago by a massive landslide. A lunch stop is included — time to try local Kazakh cuisine at a traditional restaurant near the lake. Private Tour: Same three landscapes for your group only — flexible pace, personal guide, no strangers. English-speaking guide. Hotel pickup from 7 AM. 4x4 Jeep transport. All entrance fees included. Maximum 9 people.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Assy Plateau is a vast highland valley near Almaty, known for its wide green meadows, nomadic landscapes, and breathtaking mountain views. Located at an altitude of about 2,500 meters, it is a perfect place for nature lovers, horseback riding, and stargazing thanks to its famous astronomical observatory.
We will do trekking to the waterfall around 2 km hiking that is at 1521 meters elevation. Bear Waterfall is easily accessible and beautiful in the Turgen Gorge, and is one of the most visited places by tourists and lovers of mountain trails. The waterfall is named “Bear” because brown bears were found in the Turgen Gorge back in the 1960s[
Issyk Lake, which is also known as Esik lake, is a bright-colored alpine lake enclosed by beautiful mountain nature and lush forests together with vast flower fields. Located in the southwest of of the Almaty region of Kazakhstan, this high-mountainous pit-type reservoir has an ancient landslide-tectonic origin.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
You can choose nearest hotel from list. We will send you all information of pick up and transport the day before the tour. We wil waiting for you in front of your hotel or in lobby during pick up time.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- 4 hours overall travellers spend on the car
Reviews(29)
This was a wonderful day to get out and explore a little further out from Almaty. Amina our guide, and our driver were amazing. Great organisation from the company beforehand as well. Took us to beautiful sites, and we arrived almost first at Lake Issyk so only saw a few other people. Even though it was a long day, it went really fast because it was fun, and great organisation. Definitely recommend
We had great day at Assy Plateau! We had big modern SUV, with great driver (forgot his name), who drove carefully and skillfully through rough roads to the Plateau and highways, and excellent guide Shakh who jumped in at the last moment as the guide originally assigned to the tour couldnt make it. It was a long day, 13 hours, but absolutely worth it and my teenage kids - 13 and 16 loved it. We booked private tour and we had freedom to do any of the stops as quickly or slowly as we liked. We were not rushed and Shakh was always extremelly entertaining and engaging so everything felt very relaxed..we also had very nice lunch. We were lucky with the weather as it was sunny all the time, so this made everything even better. Communication was also good before the tour started. Absolutely recommend this tour!
Amazing trip!!! Amazing guide!!! Assy was something special! Thank you!! Perfect experience that i would never forget! I recommend 100%
This tour was magnificent, offering exotic landscapes and superb destinations. The group was also very pleasant.
I visited the Assa plateau for the first time today. I really enjoyed it. The view is amazing. I recommend it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ We had an amazing day trip to Bear Waterfall, Assy Plateau, and Issyk Lake. Every stop was breathtaking, and the itinerary was well planned with enough time to enjoy each location without feeling rushed. A special thanks to our guide, Alibi, who made the experience even better. He was friendly, knowledgeable, patient, and made sure we were comfortable throughout the trip. He shared interesting information about the places we visited and created a fun, relaxed atmosphere. If you’re visiting Almaty, I highly recommend this tour. The landscapes are absolutely stunning, and having a guide like Alibi makes the journey unforgettable!
I liked both places but hiking and visiting museum combination seems pretty unusual for half day trip. Anyway it works pretty well when you have only half day left.
The experience was nice overall. The places we went to were really beautiful. Our tour guide, Amina, was pleasant to talk to. However, she doesn't speak English that well so she had a hard time explaining some stuff sometimes. Points for improvement for this tour would be to add lunch in the itinerary since it takes a long time to get back to Almaty, even though you have snacks in you. The air condition in the car was also turned off so it was kind of hot and the driver would only turn it on for a short time then turn it off again. We were only a small tour group that day so the pickup and dropoff was quick.
The trip was amazing. Didi was our guide and she was fantastic. She was friendly, lively and patient all throughout our trip. Very fun and helped click lots of great pictures! The places were soo good!! Especially assy plateau!! I would highly recommend everyone to book this trip!! 🤌👌
Our guide Didi was great. The places we visited are amazing! Pick up on time, everything smooth, great day !
